Creating Active Readers is a set of lessons focusing on reading comprehension in grades six through

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Creating Active Readers is a set of lessons
focusing on reading comprehension in grades six
through nine. Each lesson represents only a
portion of the comprehension process. Research
shows that while reading is multifaceted,
students developing comprehension skills can only
focus on a limited number of processes at a time.
As some facets of comprehension become automatic,
new processes can be added to the students
repertoires.
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There are three major ideas to keep in mind while
viewing and implementing the lessons. First, each
lesson contains a three-part format before
reading, during reading, and after reading.
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Second, most of the lessons demonstrate a gradual
transfer of fluency to the students. This gradual
shift can move from the teacher reading aloud, to
choral or echo reading, to students reading with
partners or in small groups, and finally to
silent independent reading.
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Third and most important, all the activities are
designed to help students move toward
self-monitoring comprehension. The reader is the
only one who knows if comprehension is taking
place and this knowledge is invisible to others.
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Therefore, writing, drawing, graphic organizers,
sticky notes, presentations, and discussions have
all been used to help students become accountable
for their own metacognition and self-monitoring.
This accountability helps make the comprehension
process more visible to teachers, to the viewing
audience, and to the students themselves.
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CARs ultimate goal is that all students become
capable of reading and comprehending
age-appropriate text independently.
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CAR includes lessons demonstrating Setting
purpose for reading Activating and enlarging
prior knowledge Predicting Formulating and
answering questions Clarifying Visualizing
Using graphic organizers Making inferences
Rereading Summarizing Discussing Writing
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CAR is designed for personal or small group staff
development for English teachers who want to
improve their students ability to comprehend
text independently. The goal is that while
viewing these lessons teachers will expand their
repertoires of teaching strategies, and thereby
enhance students abilities to read and
comprehend.
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CAR is a series of virtual visits to middle
school English classes. Teachers can learn much
by observing each other teach and with CAR it can
be done at a personal computer. Each classroom
visit is accompanied by a lesson plan, which
should be read prior to viewing. There is also an
observation checklist to be used while viewing.
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Lesson Plan Goal To transfer self-monitoring of
reading comprehension to students. English SOL
8.4, 8.5, 9.3 Text The Colomber by Dino
Buzzati, translated by Lawrence Venuti Reading
level Almost Instructional Comprehension
focus Predicting Making inferences Before
reading activities Map some of the tricky
words using wordsalive maps. Define
inferences. Make predictions based on the
vocabulary and artwork. Explain the use of
the sticky notes. During reading activities
Read aloud. Pause to write and share an
inference. Read with partners. Pause to
write and share an inference. Read
independently. Discuss inferences. After
reading activities Explain the graphic
organizer. Transfer inferences and their
clues to the graphic. Discuss with
partners. Write inferences on the board.
Discuss confirm or reject based on the entire
story. Self evaluation Most students understood
the vocabulary and used it for prediction. Most
could make at least three inferences and could
find the clues that led them to think beyond the
literal. Many inferences were really predictions
and some students are still confusing inferential
and literal thinking.
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If you did not receive CAR and would like a set,
please contact Katie Rosenbaum
crosenba_at_mail.vak12ed.edu
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Lesson 9 Making Inferences with Poetry Mrs.
Littles lesson is an example of explicit
instruction of English SOL 8.5b the student will
read and analyze a variety of narrative and
poetic forms and describe inferred main ideas or
themes using evidence from the text as
support. The lesson also includes opportunities
for students to 8.6a draw on background
knowledge and knowledge of text structure to
understand selections 8.6c analyze the
authors use of text structure and word choice
8.6h draw conclusions based on explicit and
implied information and 8.6i make inferences
based on explicit and implied information.
Mrs. Little builds her students confidence by
moving gradually from the word level, to cartoons
and riddles arriving finally at a challenging and
poetic text. She incorporates a graphic organizer
and multiple reading and rereading of the text to
help her students become confident and strategic
with making inferences. Mrs. Little seizes a
teachable moment to introduce 8.5a explain the
the use of symbols after a student connects the
roads in the text to choices in life.